


the one i will always know

by Kroolea



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, F/M, Human Trafficking, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements, References to Drugs, Underage Drug Use, angst with a (mostly) happy ending, baby yoda's name is Santiago bc i had to give him a name, i aged up Winta please do not shoot me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:15:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23843611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kroolea/pseuds/Kroolea
Summary: Din Djarin is a desperate man. His son is taken from him after he is arrested and Din can't gain his bearings. In need of money, he agrees to drive a truck for some extra cash.What could go wrong?A lot. Soon Din is thrown into a seemingly hopeless situation when he realizes he is transporting a mother and a daughter in his truck.Can he save them from a world of corruption and pain or will he be too late?
Relationships: Omera & Winta (Star Wars), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Omera (Star Wars)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 21





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This plot is based on the novel and movie "Priceless: She's Worth Fighting For" by Joel and Luke Smallbone. I changed a few things in the book just so that it makes more sense for this fanfic ;)
> 
> I aged up Winta up to 16, the age of Maria in the book.
> 
> I chose Santiago as Baby Yoda's name because Pedro Pascal is from Santiago Chile. Fun fact!

Din winced as the sun hit his eyes. The creaky screen door slapped behind him, he let out a low growl as he tripped over a rickety board on the porch. 

“Are you Din D-... Jarren?” The mailman squinted as he looked at the last name. Din rolled his eyes.

“Djarin.” He corrected the atrocious pronunciation of his last name. The mailman shrugged. 

“You haven’t got your mail in weeks. I brought them to the door in case you were unable to.”

Hadn’t he? He didn’t know what day it even was anymore. All he knew was that the bills were stacking up faster than he could pay them and that his electricity had already been turned off once this year. 

At his chest, six month old Santiago gurgled unhappily at the sun in his eyes. Din shifted him so he was no longer in the direct sunlight. 

He realized the mailman was still standing waiting for a reply. 

Din grabbed the pile of mail from his hands and stalked back inside. 

Water bill, electricity bill, rent. There was a reminder that Santi had an appointment next week, another thing that would probably get canceled, just like the one last month. 

Din groaned. Santiago's head lifted at the noise. 

Greef’s deal sounded better and better every day it passed. The number was scrawled on a piece of yellow legal pad paper in the middle of the table, not thrown away because Din needed money but not used because Din didn't know if he could call the number in good conscience. 

Without fully thinking, he grabbed his phone and dialed the number.

\---

He should have known better. It was nearly nine-thirty when Din pulled up in his beaten pick up to the empty Wal-Mart parking lot. The street lights seemed so incredibly bright. Din waited for a few minutes, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. 

The small packet was burning a hole in the pocket of his denim jacket. He shifted a few times before deciding to get out of the truck. 

A few minutes had passed before the man showed up, Din could hear his mumbling from a mile away in the silent parking a lot. The man shifted a few bills through his hands and continued to mumble incoherently. Din sent him a leveled glare. 

The man didn't look him in the eye. Din remembered the same look in Xi’an’s eyes. How she refused to look him in the eye or even speak. He wondered if he was dooming this man to the same fate as Xi’an. Not that he really cared, Xi’an could burn in hell for the rest of eternity but a large part of him still felt guilty for helping this man’s addiction.

He was so lost in thought he didn't hear the sirens until it was too late to run.

\---

It was by sheer luck that Santi ended up with Paz and not in the foster system. Din’s attorney loved to remind him of this fact. 

Din knew how awful the system was, so did Paz. The only reason Paz even took Santi in was to make sure he didn't end up in the system, he told Din as much. 

As guilty as he felt for agreeing to deliver the drugs, nothing could ever compare to the guilt he felt when he saw the disappointed look on Paz’s face when he first visited him in jail. 

He got out of jail with more scars than he had going in. He wasn’t allowed near Santi without a social worker, and he had no money. 

So, naturally, when Greef offered to let Din move in with him and lined him up with a car and a job, Din couldn't refuse. Greef had been the only person to visit him in prison and updated him on how Santi was doing. 

Din wasn't quite sure how Greef got the information on Santi, he doubted Paz would have told Greef of all people, but he accepted the information and didn't ask questions. 

When he got out he made a few bad decisions, most involved needing to stay far, far away from alcohol but he was off to an okay start, anyways.

He would get financially stable, he would be able to rent an apartment soon, he would keep a job.

Then he could get Santi back and everything would be picture perfect. What could possibly go wrong?


	2. The Gig

Din quickly learned how hard it was to keep a job. It had been nearly three months since he got out of prison and he still didn't have enough money to rent an apartment, much less start convincing anyone to let him get Santi back. His son was a year old, had taken his first steps, and could now count to three. Din had missed all of it. All because of a stupid mistake.\\.

He shared these fears with Greef who promised he'd think of something. 

And think of something he did. A week later he showed up to the apartment with the keys to a truck in his hands. “Usually I do these jobs myself but I can let you do it a few times.” Din looked at the truck warily. 

“What’s inside?” He asked, Greed scoffed. 

“It’s not drugs. Listen, if you don't want to do it, I can, but I thought you'd want to do it. It pays real well. Drive up there straight through, drop off the cargo, get paid, come back.” 

It was a tempting offer, and if it wasn’t drugs, who was he to turn down such a great deal. 

“Fine, I'll take it.” He frowned as the keys were pushed into his hands. 

“Great. Get some rest, you'll need it.”

\---

That was how Din Djarin was on the road at five o'clock sharp driving to a town in the middle of nowhere Nevada. 

The first day went smoothly, Din had driven a few trucks before and despite it being summer and the fact the AC didn't really work, the rolled down window did enough to keep him cool.

Din found himself wondering what was in the back of the truck. At a gas station, he took a moment to inspect the truck. The lock wasn’t anything fancy, and the dirty white truck gave no hints as to what the inside held.

As the sun began to set he found himself beginning to grow tired of the roads. He chugged the last gas station energy drink he had and found it did very little.

The headlights in front of him began to blur together, creating one light coming straight for him. 

Wait, what?

He swerved hard to right, driving off the road. The semi that nearly hit him blared it’s horn angrily. He cringed at the sound and got out to check over the truck. 

It was by sheer luck that the truck had no damage. He breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted to do was explain to some expensive buyer why the truck was so beat up.

The lock was still latched, which brought a little disappointment to Din. By now the desire to know what was in the truck was screaming in his head. 

_ What if Greef lied and it’s drugs? What if it's drugs? What if it's drugs and you're locked away again with no hope of seeing Santi ever again? _

A sob rose in his throat at the thought, creating a high pitched wailing that erupted from his mouth.

Shit, don't cry, dammit. 

Din covered his mouth but the crying still continued, he realized in horror that the sound wasn't coming from him but from inside the truck.

He rattled the lock a few times and the crying subdued, like it was being muffled. 

He went to the front and sat in the seat for a long time. With the window up and the door shut he couldn't hear the crying coming from the back. 

Curiosity got the best of him and he grabbed the crowbar in his side of the door and went back out to the back.

The crying had stopped and aside from the crickets and the occasional vehicle passing, it was completely silent. 

He swung the crowbar at the lock, careful not to hit the truck, he watched as the lock snapped off the truck and landed in the dirt with a soft thud. 

He opened the door, slowly, as not to startle whoever was inside.

A small can was thrown at him the second his face peered inside the truck. In order to protect himself from potential bodily harm, he slammed the door back down. 

A thud hit the door, it echoed, ringing in his ears for a long moment.

Against his better judgment, he opened the door and waited for something to hit him, preferably not in the face.

When no other assailants flew through the air he clambered into the back. 

Instantly a harsh voice rang out. It wasn't speaking English and he took a step back, lifting his hands in surrender to avoid being hit with anything else.

“Hey, hey, I’m not going to hurt you.” 

He was met with two glares, in the moonlight he could tell the two people in the back were female, one was a teenager, eighteen at most. The other was around his age, in her early thirties. Both looked terrified and Din wondered what stories they had been told about America.

The older woman continued to spit out insults ferociously. Din had no clue what language it was. However, he did know that whatever language it was, this woman was very, very unhappy.

The back of the truck was disgusting, it stank of urine and whatever else was in the back. Looking around, he could see that what must have been a bucket full of pee was knocked over and had splattered against one of the walls. He made a face, he couldn't imagine that sitting in here in the heat must have been a pleasant experience. 

“You can come sit in the front with me.” He offered. He was met with two blank stares. 

“Right, you don't speak English.” He mumbled, he made the universal sign for “follow me.” The girls stood and he could see that their clothes were filthy, like they hadn't changed in days or even weeks.

The two seemed to get the concept and they stood and followed him to the front. He shut the hatch and put the lock back on the truck as best as he could. 

They must be migrants, smuggled into America by someone.

He did not want to be part of that, but it was too late for him to have any opinion. The least he could do was give them a semi-decent ride to wherever they were going to end up.

It was late and the younger girl quickly fell asleep. The older woman watched him warily before laying her head against the window and watching the outside world.


	3. The Driver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we get Omera's point of view on things... yay!

Omera watched the man beside her, he looked exhausted. It wasn’t surprising, considering he had been driving for about twenty hours now. Omera had taken a short nap since he allowed them to sit in the front with him.

Winta was becoming restless. The sixteen-year-old shifted every so often. Omera wanted to ask the man if they could get out and stretch their legs for a little while, but speaking to him would blow her cover. The man had tried to figure out what language she was speaking but gave up soon after, she didn't blame him, he spoke some Spanish from what she could tell but she doubted he knew what Portuguese sounded like.

The man seemed nice, he seemed very surprised to see them in his truck, she wondered if he knew that they were there. Judging by his reaction, he had no idea what he was hauling. 

The man stopped at a gas station around twelve-thirty, he got out of the truck and beckoned for them to follow. “Don’t talk to anyone.” He said firmly. He looked over their clothes, Omera saw a flash of anger in his eyes. 

“You need new clothes. Those are filthy.” He looked around the store and grabbed two shirts and shorts from a rack. “Here, take these. I'll pay for them.” He said the last part more to the cashier than to her. Omera dragged Winta to the bathroom to clean off and change. 

“He's nice,” Winta said, in English. Omera sent her a pointed look. Winta shrugged and began scrubbing her hands and arms with the foamy hand soap. 

Omera didn't answer her, instead, she looked at the shirt. It had the name of the town they were in. The town didn't seem to have any significance. Omera wondered why they made shirts with it.

The shorts were a little big on both of them, but they were horrible. When Omera finally felt like she was somewhat clean. She and Winta exited the bathroom. Their driver was filling up a cup with coffee, Winta instantly began wandering the store, Omera sighed and followed her. 

Winta was looking at some souvenirs when a man approached them. At first, Omera thought it was their driver but when she turned around she came face to face with a fat man a little taller than her. 

“Hello ladies, looking for some company?” He laughed like what he said was a joke. Omera frowned, he grabbed her arm.

“I asked a question.” The man snarled in her ear, his breath smelled worse than the back of the truck and she noticed he was missing at least half his teeth. 

“Eu não falo inglês.” She mumbled, trying to pull away. A wicked grin crossed his face.

“A foreign lady, Id love to hear you scream in whatever language that was.” 

Omera felt her stomach lurch, behind her, Winta was watching with wide eyes.

“Leave her alone.”

Omera could have cried when she heard the voice of their driver. His face was stone cold. The man holding Omera sneered at him.

“Let me guess you're her boyfriend?”

“I said leave her alone.”

“I think not, she's a pretty little-” Omera barely had time to move before their driver pushed the man against the wall, his eyes were burning with anger. The man’s eyes bulged and he was wheezing. 

“Leave them alone.” Their driver repeated. The man nodded and their driver let him go.

“I thought I said not to talk to people.”

Winta opened her mouth to protest but Omera quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. Their driver looked at Omera's arm.

“It won’t bruise.” He said after a moment. Omera nodded slowly. 

As he drove Omera watched the road fly by. The roads were mostly empty, only the occasional truck would drive by them.

Omera was startled by the man’s phone ringing. He glanced at her quickly then answered it. 

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end sounded like a man, he sounded somewhat frustrated but Omera couldn't hear him and she didn't want to intentionally eavesdrop on their driver.

“Can I talk to him?” The man's voice softened. “Hey, Santi. Are you having fun with Uncle Paz?”

The voice she heard previously was gone, the voice on the phone sounded like a small child, maybe even a child that had not begun to form full sentences yet.

"I'll be back in two days, the next visitation day is on Saturday." The driver's voice went back to normal when the older man spoke into the phone again.

The man quickly finished the conversation when he realized she was awake and listening. He sighed before falling back into his characteristic silence.

At four o’clock sharp the man pulled into a diner, the parking lot was mostly empty, the dinner crowds would be in for another hour or so. Omera wondered if this was on purpose.

The three of them were seated at a table in the corner. Winta was watching around excitedly. The waitress approached them with her notebook out. 

“Can I get a cheeseburger and french fries?” Winta asked the waitress. The waitress laughed and wrote it down in her notebook.

“Of course, dearie. And for you?”

Omera shot Winta a look, Winta suddenly realized that she had done. 

“I'll have that as well.”

Their driver was staring at them in shock. The waitress looked at him, clearing her throat and making him jump.

“Uh, I guess I'll have the same.” He said. The waitress gave them a cheery grin and walked off to the kitchen.

“You speak English.” The driver said at last. Omera nodded. Winta looked somewhat abashed.

“We thought it would be… simpler to pretend to not know English.” Omera explained. The man nodded in understanding.

“Well, I’m Din Djarin.”

“I’m Omera, that is my daughter, Winta.” 

Winta waved slightly. Din waved back.

“What are you doing in America? You do want to be in America, right?”

Omera didn't understand the worried look in his eyes. She nodded.

“My husband, he owed some men money. We are paying off the debt. You know, maids, cleaning.” Winta looked unhappy at this statement but Omera ignored the look her daughter was sending her.

Din nodded. “Yeah. Where are you from? I recognized some of the words you said.”

“Brazil. Portuguese and Spanish are similar, yes?”

“Yeah.”

The waitress brought out their food. Omera watched Winta eagerly bite into hers. 

“Thank you for helping us with the man. At the gas station.”

Din shrugged. “No problem. I always love beating in an asshole’s head.”

Winta’s eyes widened at the man's colorful language.

“How old are you?” Din asked Winta. The teenager grinned upon being addressed.

“I’m sixteen. But in three months I'll be seventeen.” She beamed. Din nodded.

“And you?”

“Thirty-two.”

“Me too.” He said. He was silent for the rest of the meal. 

When they were finished eating Din quickly got up. “We’re about two hours away from your destination. I hate to ask you to do this, but you need to get in the back. I cleaned it out the best I could.”

Winta’s face fell and Omera felt the same way but she nodded. “Of course. Thank you, Din.” She said, he gave her a small smile. 

On their way out, Din saw a taxidermy bear. “Hang on, could you take a picture? I want to send a picture to my son.” 

Omera smiled and took the phone he handed her. 

Din stood beside the bear, a half-smile plastered on his face. Omera took the picture, then a mischievous smile crossed her face. She held up the phone and took a picture of herself.

“There,”

“Did you take a selfie?”

“Maybe.” Omera laughed as he pocketed his phone. He helped her and Winta up into the truck’s back. 

Omera smiled at him. "Thank you." She said, he gave her a strained smile of his own. 

"You're welcome. I hope you and your daughter have a good life in America."

Omera looked down for a brief moment and looked back up at him. "Me too."

When the door was shut Winta giggled.

“Do you like him, mama?”

“Of course. He’s kind and helpful.”

Winta sighed. “Not like that. Do you _like him_ like him?”

Omera huffed. “No. Anyways, he has a son and probably has a wife.” 

Luckily, Winta couldn't see the blush that dusted her mother's cheeks.


	4. The Drop-off

The motel sign read Motel 12, the board apparently once read “FREE WIFI & BREAKFAST” but half the letters were missing.

Din shot a quick text to Greef. ‘ _Here but no one is here.’_

Greef didn't reply, he was probably doing some drug run or other illegal activity. Din sighed and put his phone down. 

A few minutes had passed when a black van pulled up, a middle-aged man was driving. He nodded to Din, who took that as a sign to get out of the truck.

Two men got out of the van, the shorter one was about the same height as Din. He had an ear piercing and was wearing casual clothes. The other man was taller than Din, his salt and pepper hair was slicked back with enough gel to hold back the entire military. 

“You must be Din. Greef has spoken highly of you.” He said, not unkindly but he sounded bored. Din nodded, trying to appear neutral. “I’m Gideon.” He shook Din’s hand firmly.

“Any troubles?” Gideon asked, frowning when he saw the missing lock. 

“There was a little incident, I got run off the road. No worries, the truck is fine.” Din reassured him, Gideon's eyes narrowed a little. 

“As long as the cargo is fine. I don’t care.” 

“The cargo is fine,” Din said before he could stop himself. 

Gideon's face became cold and Din mentally kicked himself.

“I checked on it… after I drove off the road.” He explained weakly. Gideon nodded, the angry expression on his face melted into a neutral one.

Din caught a glimpse inside the van, about five or six girls were crammed in the back. His breath caught in his throat.

No.

“Toro, give Din his money.” Gideon demanded. The other man, Toro, handed Din the envelope.

“You know who this goes to?” He asked, Din merely nodded, unable to find his voice.

Gideon opened the door and grinned widely. “Welcome to America!” He greeted them. He gently helped them out of the truck. Omera and Winta looked somewhat relieved at being out of the van.

Din couldn’t find his voice to tell them anything. 

He needed this money. Omera looked a little alarmed but soon Gideon and Toro had pressed roses in both of their hands, Winta had a grin on her face as she smelled the flower. Omera caught eyes with Din before Gideon urged her into the van. 

“Where are you taking them?” Din heard himself asking before he could stop himself. Toro rolled his eyes.

“You did your job, now I'm doing mine. Adios, amigo.”

Din wanted to protest that he and this man are not amigos but he fell silent as the van started up and left him in a cloud of exhaust and dirt.

What had he done?

Din goes into the shady-looking motel. He needed to sleep and eat before he does something reckless.

The man behind the desk looked up in surprise at the obnoxiously loud bell that rang when Din opened the door. “What can I do for you?” He asked, he sounded like he had been smoking since birth and it made Din frown.

“I need a room.”

The man raises an eyebrow. “I only charge by the hour. But before you leave town, I can get you some company for the night.’

Din felt physically ill. To avoid puking into the plastic plant on the desk he shakes his head.

“I just need to sleep.”

The man shrugged and pointed to the motel across the road. “If you change your mind, here’s the number.” He presses a business card into Din’s hand.

Din didn't reply as he walked out. The business card felt heavy in his hand as it sat on the passenger seat of the truck. 

When Din walked into the lobby of the other motel he felt like he could finally breathe. The lobby didn't smell like dust and alcohol. The cold air conditioner blows on his face as he waits for someone. 

After what felt like an eternity a short older man came out. He looked Din over. 

“Yes?”

“I need a room,” Din said, he thought it was pretty obvious. The man nodded and handed him a card. 

“Just fill that out. It’s eighty dollars a night. Checkout is at noon.” The man droned on. Din’s head was spinning and he knew he was probably a sight. 

“Did you hear anything I just said?” The man asked loudly, he startled Din out of his thoughts.

Din shook his head. “Sorry.”

“How are you paying?” The man asked, Din pulled out a one hundred dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to the man, who looked at it with a mildly disgusted look.

“What are you hauling?”

“Cargo.”

“Hmm. Just cargo? You seem dead on your feet for someone who’s only hauling cargo.”

Din glares at him. “I just need a room.”

“What would I find if I opened the back of your truck?” The man pressed. Din scowls. 

_Nothing anymore._ He wants to say but instead, he pushes the unfilled card back to the man. 

“I don't know what you're getting at. Mind your own business.”

The man gave him an unimpressed look. “It’s my business since the truck is on my property.”

Din, exhausted and emotionally strung, walked away to the nearest bar.

\---

Din had barely touched his beer, he swirled it in the bottle more times than he could count. The bar was too loud despite the small number of people in it. He frowned and took a swig of his drink. He should have known. The second he found Omera and Winta he should have turned around and driven the other way. Now they were gone, sold by his own hand. He had no one to blame but himself.

And Greef. He blamed Greef too. 

It was incredibly late when the bar door let out a chime. A short man sat beside him and sighed. 

“I thought you'd be here.”

Din turned to face the motel owner. “How did you know?” He questioned. The man let out a scoff. 

“Trying to pay in hundreds, hauling cargo, driving straight through. It doesn’t take a genius to put it all together.”

Din didn't reply to that, instead he went to take another sip of the beer. “Why didn't you call the cops?” He wanted to know. 

The man laughed, but he wasn't amused. “The cops won't do a damn thing.” 

“Oh.” Din frowned into his drink. “I just needed the money. I thought - I didn’t know...” He trailed off.

The man shook his head and began walking away. “I'm not going to give you sympathy.”

“I need your help.” Din fished through his phone to find the selfie Omera had taken. The picture had been taken only a few hours ago but it felt like years ago. “I need your help to find her and her daughter.” 

“I’m Kuiil.” The man smiled, he held out his hand for Din to shake.


	5. The Girl(s)

Omera disliked Toro. Gideon was kind and made sure she and Winta had settled in comfortably, but Toro was rude, condescending, and she saw how he looked at Winta. Gideon assured her that when they had settled in he would make sure they had jobs to begin paying off her late husband’s debts. 

Omera never truly cared for that man. He treated her badly and usually spent their money on gambling or alcohol. While she thought it was extremely unfair that she and her daughter had to work to pay off a dead man’s debts, she complied because the last thing she wanted was law enforcement getting involved.

Winta liked the other girls. Omera had only spoken with them a little but Winta had quickly gained new friends like she always did. The girls didn’t seem to notice the age gap of about two to four years between them, they treated Winta like a sister despite only knowing her for a day. One girl in particular, Fennec, did about thirty make-up styles on the girl and let the sixteen-year-old show off to the others.

The evening after they first arrived was a quiet one, after the girls had all gone to bed or gone out for the night, Peli, one of the older women pulled Omera aside. 

“Here.” She pressed two white pills in Omera’s hand. “These will make you feel good.” 

Omera frowned and put the pills back into the older woman’s hands. “No, thank you. I made a deal with myself after my husband died, no drugs or alcohol.” 

Peli’s brow furrowed. “You'll want to change that in a few days.” She commented dryly. Omera gave her a worried look.

“I’m sorry?”

Peli looked a little panicked so instead she shook her head and took the two pills. “Nothing. Goodnight, Omera.” The woman scrambled back to her room. 

Omera watched her retreating figure, an apprehensive feeling rising in her chest. 

\---

Din needed to clear his head. Early that morning he headed to a local restaurant to get some breakfast. The restaurant was apparently a popular place in town, nearly every table was filling and the friendly chatter was loud enough to give him a headache.

Din ordered coffee and sat in the corner, watching people order and talk with family and friends. How many people in this room were aware as to what was going on right under their noses. He caught a glimpse of an officer a few tables away. After a minute of contemplation, he approached him.

“Do you need anything?” The officer looked mildly irritated. Din nodded and took that as a sign to sit down. He could see the badge on the man that indicated he was a sheriff.

“Yes. There’s prostitution happening, at Motel 12.” This statement caused the sheriff to look somewhat intrigued. He pulled out a notepad and jotted something down.

“Motel 12? Interesting. What’s your name?” 

Din gulped, he really didn't want his name attached to any of this. “Din.”

“Din…?” 

“Just Din.”

The sheriff raised an eyebrow. “Where can I contact you if I need to?”

Din let out a small breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in. “I'm staying at the motel across the bar.”

The sheriff nodded and tucked his notepad back into his pocket. “I will be sure to make someone look into that. Now, if you'll excuse me…” The sheriff trailed off, motioning to his food. Din nodded and quickly got up.

He sat back down in the corner, scrolling through his phone. Kruiil wasn’t free to go over a plan until two. Din did a quick google search to find out that prostitution in Reno, Nevada, was a common thing, instantly his phone was full of pictures of ‘Hot Girls In Your Area’ ads. Din was so focused on his phone that he didn't hear the person sit across from him.

The woman cleared her throat, causing him to look up quickly and slam his phone down on the table.

“I heard you talking to the sheriff.” She said calmly like she was unaware she startled Din. Her hair was half-shaved and she wore a tank top and sweatpants. 

“Yeah.” He answered, the woman was watching him closely like she was trying to figure out something about him.

“That sheriff won't do anything. I want to help you, I'm Cara Dune.”

Din raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because unlike most people here. I want to help. I'm a cop.” She rolled her eyes at Din’s questioning glance. “Not right now, you idiot.”

A sheepish look crossed his face but he didn't argue with her, despite how much he wanted to, Din and Kuiil could use any help they could and who was he to turn away help from the only cop in town that seemed to care?

“Fine. I'm staying at the motel across the road. The owner, Kuiil, is helping me.”

Cara nodded and got up and left. 

Din watched her leave.

\---

Omera watched as the girls began leaving, despite Winta begging her new friends to allow her to go with them, Winta was left at the house with Omera and a few others. They put in a movie, Omera wasn’t watching, she sat beside Peli, who was muttering under her breath about something Toro had said before leaving. Omera wondered if Peli just tended to talk to herself often or if it had something to do with the drugs. 

“Omera! I want to speak with you.” Gideon said, Omera noticed how the women in the room stiffened when he spoke. 

She followed him into the hall. “Come, I wish to speak with you without the prying ears.” He pointed to the living room area. “We’ll be alone in my room. I want to speak about paying off the debt.” Now she understood why he was being secretive. He didn't wish to embarrass her in front of the others.

Omera nodded and allowed him to lead her into the room. She didn’t see the sympathetic looks the others sent her.


	6. The Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the M rating comes in, be warned, my dudes

Omera watched as Gideon mixed a drink. She shifted from where she stood.

"You wanted to speak to me?" She said gently, reminding him of why she was there. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yes, you and Wings seemed to have settled down well." He mused.

"Yes, I think Winta likes it here, Fennec is like the big sister she's never had." Omera smiled slightly, Winta really was attached at the hip to Fennec ever since they had arrived.

"Do you like it here?" He turned to face her. She avoided his eyes.

"I- I would rather get to work and pay off the debts. I don't want to be trapped here forever." She admitted. A smile spread across his face.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He handed her a drink and let her sit down on the bed. She looked at him nervously.

"I'm sorry, but I don't drink-"

"Shhh. Taste it, Omera." Her name drips off his tongue uncomfortably and she pulls away.

"I don't-" She's interrupted by him putting his mouth on hers.

"You said you wanted to begin paying off the debt. Start by drinking this." He murmured, tilting the cup up until she had drunk every drop. She held back the vomit that threatened to arise.

"No, not like this. I'll clean, I'll work harder than anyone. Please not like this." She begged as he began pressing her against the bed. He frowned but pulled back.

"You owe me money, Omera. You belong to me. Isn't that the saying? The borrower is slave to the lender."

Her head was becoming more and more woozy. "N-no." She mumbled.

"You are very beautiful, your daughter looks very much like you, doesn't she?"

Omera paled and shook her head. "She is just a child."

"I'll give you a choice, you or her?" His voice was full of malice, a wicked grin crossed his face as she breathed heavily, trying to form words that wouldn't come out.

"Toro! Bring in Winta!" Gideon thundered. Omera let out an upset cry before she realized she had done it.

"No! Please don't!" She begged. He backhanded her, causing Winta, who had been shoved into the room by Toro, to gasp in horror.

"Mama!"

Omera grabbed Winta tightly. "Leave her alone! You said it was my choice!"

Omera's arms feel way too heavy and her vision is blurry but she can still see the terrible smile on his face.

"I want you, Gideon." The words feel foreign on her tongue like she isn't even the one saying them.

Gideon looked unimpressed so Omera continued.

"I need you." She let go of Winta, who was clinging to her arm.

Gideon gives her a smile and ushers for Toro to release Winta from where he was holding onto her.

Omera gently pushed Winta into Peli's arms and cringed as Gideon shut the door.

"Now, dear, dear Omera... Where were we?"

Omera felt her worries fade into apathy as he undressed her.

He looked over her figure hungrily. "When was the last time you had sex?" His voice was lower and he gripped her hips roughly. She shivered both from fear and the cold air.

"Nearly five years." She said quietly. His mouth twitched up for a moment.

"Very good."He pushed her to the bed and tugged his pants off.

\----

Din frowned as he approached Motel 12, the motorcycle Kuiil had given him was loud but it was less suspicious than driving up in the same truck he had arrived in. 

He had called the number in advance and was told to head to room 134 so he did just that. It was with a sinking feeling he realized that Toro was standing waiting for him. 

“You…” He smirked and crossed his arms. “What do you want?”

Din was silent for a moment, willing himself to avoid punching this man in the face. “I couldn’t stop thinking about her, you know?” The words felt wrong but he said them anyway, he had to keep up appearances.

Toro let out a laugh. “Yeah, that won't happen, she's not on the menu yet, buddy.”

“I can pay.” Din blurted. Toro raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, you and everyone else.”

Din took a steady breath. “What about a thousand?”

Toro’s eyebrows almost shoot up into his hair. “A thousand?! No girl is worth that, buddy.” Din’s expression doesn’t change and it caused Toro to whistle loudly. 

“I'll see what I can do, wait here.”

Din barely dared to breathe as Toro entered the room with his phone in hand.

Din waited for what he felt like forever. He watched as girls walked by, some stopped and suggestively whispered to him. He glared at them and watched them scurry away. Afterward, he felt somewhat guilty but on top of the guilt that already weighed down his entire body, it was nothing more than a small drop.

At last, Toro emerged from the room. “She’ll be here. One hour, wait in room 200.” He instructed. Din nodded and handed over the bills in his hands. Toro counted them out silently and nodded.

“Have fun.” He gave Din a mock salute which Din completely ignored.

The room was, in Din’s humble opinion, disgusting. The walls were covered in yellow and orange wallpaper that looked like it had been there since the sixties. The bed was neatly made but he didn't dare think of the number of people that had fucked on it. 

He found a chair in the corner and ignored the creaking it made when he sat down in it. He sent a quick to Cara, telling her what was happening. He heard footsteps outside the door and looked up. The door suddenly swung open and Omera stumbled into the room. 


	7. The Promise

“Omera,” Din spoke softly, as not to scare her but she still startled. Her eyes had bags under them. She was wearing a silky dress, it fit awkwardly on her thin frame. She was shaking and she swayed as she took a step away from him. 

She looked up at him as tears quickly filled her eyes. “Din.” Her voice was distant, she took another step back until she had backed against the wall. She steadied herself as she slid down the wall. He caught sight of the dark bruises that marked her arms and collarbone.

Din was not a stranger to drugs, he could tell that whatever had happened, she had been drugged. “Omera, what did they do to you?” He asked, she stared at him, tears silently fell down her cheek. 

“Did you know?” She rasped. He stiffened and looked down, he wrestled with the words before finally settling on,

“No, I didn’t.”

That seemed to break whatever dam was keeping her composed. She began sobbing, tears ran down her face and fell on her dress. With every sob Din’s guilt intensified. He had to fix this, as much as he could.

“How are you here?” She managed to ask between sobs.

Din began pacing. “I gave Toro some money-”

“You paid to have sex with me?!” 

Din froze and shook his head vigorously. “No, I paid to get here. I’m going to get you out of here.”

Omera blinked slowly, “Why didn't you do something when you saw the girls in the van?”

Din felt a lodge in his throat. “I don’t know.” He admitted. “I’m here to get you out.”

“Winta…”

Din was silent for a moment, a plan forming in his mind. 

“I'll get Winta too. I need to get you out first.” 

Omera stubbornly shook her head. “No, I’m not leaving her.”

Din frowned; he was so close to getting her out. Inwardly he cursed fate and sighed loudly. Omera flinched and watched him.

“Get some sleep.” Din motioned to the bed. He sat in the somewhat sticky armchair beside the bed. He pulled out his phone and updates Cara, who he was pretty sure was working.

Omera sat on the bed and slowly laid down. As she slept Din got a chance to look over her injuries. He made a mental note to punch Gideon and Toro extra for the blatant abuse. 

Cara didn’t reply to the texts so he slid the phone into his pocket. He watched Omera sleep, wishing he could help more than making up half thought out plans and ideas. 

The hour passed swiftly and before he knew it there was a loud knock on the door, Toro’s voice echoed through the door. “Your time’s up!”

The loud noise outside the door made Omera jolt up. Din felt slightly panicked. 

“C’mon loverboy, shes got a line up for tonight.” 

Din’s face darkened in anger. He found his voice after a second. “I’m putting my pants on!” He yelled which seemed to satisfy the man outside the door. Din glanced at Omera. “Come with me, please.”

“Not without Winta,” Omera said firmly. Din nodded. 

“I'll come back for you.” He assured her. With those words, he left the room. Toro was waiting outside the door impatiently.

“That good, huh?”

“Worth every penny.” Din agreed, ignoring the bile that rose in his throat. Toro smirked.

“I’ll be sure to pass the recommendation on.”

Din quickly went down the stairs, keeping his head down. On the way down he passed a familiar figure going up. Din stood at the bottom of the steps as the man greeted Toro. With a jolt of surprise Din realized the man was the sheriff he had talked to earlier. He felt his brow furrow angrily. Cara was right when she said he wouldn’t do anything. Din wondered if she knew that the sheriff was involved or if she just knew he didn't care. The two men made a deal. 

“There’s a new girl, just got her from some South American country or something. She costs extra-”

“I can pay.” The sheriff interrupted. Toro laughed. 

“Good. You enjoy yourself, pal.” Din heard the footsteps of the two departing. He waited for several minutes before heading back up the stairs. The reasonable part of his brain was yelling at him to go, find Cara, and see what she could do. A different part of his, a part that was full of red-hot fury right now, was encouraging him to go in and save Omera. 

He listened to the angry part of him. Beside the door was a fire extinguisher, he rapped on the door with his knuckles.

There was an annoyed voice on the other end, then it swung open. 

The sheriff looked shocked to see Din. “You-”

He never finished his sentence as Din hit him over the head with the fire extinguisher. The sheriff dropped with a thud and a surprised gasp sounded from the room. Omera was hastily pulling her dress up. Her eyes were equally full of shock and relief. Din met her eyes and before he could say a word she shook her head slowly. 

“Not. Without. Winta.” 

There was yelling in the hall and Din leaned over to take the sheriff's gun. “I will be back, I swear to you.” 

Omera nodded and made a shooing motion. “Go before they get you.” She instructed, her voice was still shaky but when she began hyperventilating Din understood, she was making herself look as innocent as possible. 

Din took that as an incentive to run. Survival instincts began to kick in as did adrenaline. The gun in his hand shook as he pointed it at the men at the door. The men backed off. He pushed past Toro and quickly ran down the steps. Looking around he spotted Kuiil’s old motorcycle. Toro grabbed his arm and tried to take him down. DIn shook him off and ran toward the motorcycle. He started it and quickly drove away, ignoring the shouts from behind him.


	8. The Call

Din sprinted into the lobby of the motel. The gun he stole from the sheriff was in his hand. 

"I saw her, I have a plan to get her." He gestured with the gun. Belatedly he realized Kuiil and Cara had been talking peacefully until he burst into the lobby. They both were staring at the gun in his hand. Cara looked somewhat on edge while Kuiil looked indifferent. 

"Where'd you get the gun?" Cara asked, eyeing the gun with a flippant look. 

"I stole it… from a sheriff." He admitted. Cara and Kuiil shared an impressed glance. 

"Where's the sheriff?" Kuiil looked behind Din like he expected the sheriff to burst in the room like Din just had. 

Din froze. The adrenaline was wearing off and he felt sick. "Probably coming to." 

Cara's jaw dropped. "You knocked him out?" 

"Yeah." 

"Give me the gun. I'll hide it." Kuiil wrapped the gun in a brown cloth. Cara was still staring at Din incredulously. 

"You knocked out a cop? And not just any cop, the sheriff?" 

"Yeah." He glared at her but she merely shrugged. 

"Honestly, I thought you would have run away with your tail tucked between your legs." She said bluntly. 

Din sat down. "I have an idea to get Omera and Winta."

Cara sat down beside him. Kuiil nodded for Din to continue.

"So, Cara is a cop and can get away with just people watching. She can figure out where they are staying. Kuiil and I can investigate and whatever. If we find out that is the right house. Then, we call the police, police that will actually help." Din ignored the faux wounded noise Cara made.

Kuiil, who had been silent the entire time, nodded. "Can you do that?" He asked Cara. She nodded. He smiled, one of the rare smiles he had given them. 

"Alright. Get some rest." He instructed. Cara nodded and headed out. Din stayed in the seat. 

"Do you need anything?" 

"Today's Saturday," Din said softly. Kuiil nodded. 

"Correct." 

"I promised my brother I would be home today, I told him I would be there to see my son." 

Kuill looked interested and he nodded, allowing Din to continue. 

"I won't be there, I'm far away, getting involved in something over my head. If I…" Din stopped for a moment to let his mind process. "If I die, my son will be alone. My brother will have to raise a child that he didn't even want to take in at first." 

Kuiil was silent for so long Din had to look up to make sure the older man was still there. 

"Your son needs you, your brother needs you, those girls need you. Who are you going to help, Din Djarin?" 

He thought about it. "All of them." He said at last. "If I help the girls, my son grows up in a less corrupt world. Paz…" Din trailed off. "Paz is a smart man, he'll be fine." 

Kuiil smiled. "Good. Now, go to sleep." 

"But-"

"I have spoken." 

Din didn't argue with that. 

\---

Din woke up with a start. The nightmare in his mind disappeared. It took him a moment to realize his cellphone was ringing loudly. He grabbed it and nearly groaned when he saw Paz's name. 

" _ Where are you?! _ " Paz yelled in his ear the second Din pushed the 'accept call' button. 

"I can explain-" 

" _ You better! The social worker is pissed, hell, I'm pissed! _ " 

"I-" The room phone began ringing, Din shot it a glare and ignored it. 

" _ You said you were getting your life together! Where are you? _

The room phone continued to ring obnoxiously as Din answered. "Nevada." 

" _ What!?"  _

Din cringed at the tone in his adopted brother's voice.

" _ Come on, Din-"  _

Din stuffed the cellphone into his chest, silencing Paz's voice. He grabbed the room phone with his free hand. 

"What do you want?" He hissed into it. There was a sigh of relief. 

"There are a few guys here, I think one of them is that police officer you knocked out. Stay quiet and lock the door. I'm going to make them leave. But don't let them see you."

Din's heart was in his throat as he hung up the room phone and sat on the floor.  _ This is it, I'm done with.  _ He thought miserably. He realized Paz's voice was still talking thought the cellphone.

"Paz," He whispered. Paz shut up. "Paz, listen to me, I'm sorry I fucked up, okay? I'm really sorry." 

The banging on the doors was closer than it had been earlier. 

"I love you, you're the best brother I ever could have asked for," Din said, his voice was shaky. 

" _Din, what's wrong?_ _If this is a-_ "

The loud knock on the door startled Din and he hung up on Paz. 

"Open up!" The voice outside yelled. Din sat on the floor in silence, he listened closely. 

Kuiil's unmistakable voice was talking to the man Din recognized as the other man who had been there when Din dropped off the girls. What was that guy's name?

Din didn't know and frankly, he didn't care. 

There was a tentative knock on the door, Din stiffened until he heard Kuiil's voice on the other side. "Din, come on, you need to get out of this motel."

Din opened the door and looked around, the men were gone. 

"Get your stuff. I'm taking you to my place." It never fully occurred to Din that Kuiil lived in a different place other than the motel. He grabbed the little he had, a phone charger and another change of clothes, and followed Kuiil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im realizing that this is going to be a bit longer than 10 chapters so imma move it up to about 13ish


	9. The House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so short I'm so sorry

Cara wasn't really sure why she agreed to get involved with Din and Kuiil. It didn't benefit her in any way, and it was extremely stressful. 

But Cara was never one to turn away when someone was trying to do the right thing. Din didn't know what he was getting into, he didn't know the depth of the corruption that he was fighting against. 

She didn't know for a fact that the sheriff was involved but she had her suspicions. He was cold-hearted, rude, and treated women like shit. 

All these thoughts ran through her mind as she sat in the parking lot, so far there had been nothing out of the ordinary, most just normal people heading to work. 

She saw a white van and watched it silently. She wasn't one to be inclined to listen to stereotypes, but from what Din said, that stereotype actually fit this situation. 

The van pulled into the bank and a man got out of the passenger side. She watched, the man was tall and had black hair. He seemed to match the description that Din gave her. She took down the licence plate number and headed back to the station.

She typed the number onto her computer. It popped up and she clicked on it. The computer loaded for an eternity until finally a statement popped up. "Licence number unavailable." 

She furrowed her brow. That was odd, but that wasn't impossible, if the person had been caught but let off with a warning. 

Or if someone had gotten rid of the entire situation. 

Through her office window she could see the sheriff in mention. He was laughing with one of her superiors, she scowled. 

She had done a little research when Din had given her the names of the people he had sold Omera and Winta to. There was nothing on the one in charge, the younger one, Toro Calican, had been arrested for a small offence but had been let off with a small fine.

It was sketchy but in the long run, it wasn't anything to be concerned about. 

Until now, apparently. 

Cara sighed and stood. It was getting late and she needed to get back to Kuiil and Din.

She was getting in her car when she heard her phone ringing. 

"Shit." She mumbled as she looked for it. It was Din, of course. She had to admire his determination. 

She hadn't been joking when she said she thought he would have run off.

"What's up?" She asked, answering the phone. 

" _ I found the house _ ." Din replied. She wanted to scream, she had been watching all day and had barely seen anything. But Din had found it. 

She expected nothing less. Din would make a good cop, if it weren't for his hefty amount of criminal offences. 

"Alright. I'll stop by Kuiil's house on my way home." She told him, she hung up and began driving to the older man's secluded house. 

Kuiil's property was in the middle of nowhere. It was beautiful, she and Din had gone hiking in the woods that morning. 

It was then that Din told her about his son. He showed her the few pictures he had. His son was adorable and despite not being a baby person, she found herself smiling at the mop of dark hair and big brown eyes. 

Din had a lot to lose if this didn't end well. Cara had no one. Her family was gone. Kuiil had pictures of a family but they were not in sight. It might have been a divorce or death. Cara didn't want to ask in case he was sensitive about it. 

\---

Din drove the old car to the suburban homes. Kuiil made a small noise of surprise. 

"It's the perfect hide-out." Kuiil mused. Din nodded. If he hadn't seen Toro he wouldn't believe it himself. The brick house was picture perfect minus the picket fence. The neighbor's yard had a little plastic playground, Din shuddered.

It was too perfect for his liking.


	10. The Disappointment

Cara handed Din the gun, she frowned. "You know how to use that?" 

Din glares at her and takes the gun. "Yes…" 

She raised an eyebrow, which caused him to sigh. 

"I think so, I haven't shot one in a while." 

Cara doesn't reply but the answer seemed to appease her. Under better circumstances, she would have made sure he could but they didn't have time. 

Kuiil grabbed his gun and nodded at her. "I know how to use mine, Miss Dune." He said, a teasing tone in his voice. 

She smiled gratefully. "Alright, good to know."

Din drove to the house they had arrived to earlier and began to get out of the car. Kuiil stopped him. 

"Are you sure about this? If those men are there…" Kuiil warned. Din set a small slip of paper on the dashboard. 

"I wrote a note." He said weakly. Kuiil looked at the folded paper. 

"A piece of paper doesn't bring back time." He deadpanned. Din sighed. 

"I know. But… I'd rather die doing an honorable thing than go back and have to face my son knowing I did the wrong thing." 

Kuiil nodded and got out of the car.

They approached the house cautiously. Kuiil knocked while Din looked around the neighborhood. The incoming dusk had driven the neighbors into their homes, Din secretly was thankful for that, if things got messy he didn't want to involve more people than necessary. 

No one answered the door so Kuiil gently pushed the door opened, it was unlocked at Din was shocked at how little was in the house. 

Upon further investigation the house was empty, Din felt frustrated tears fill his eyes. They were so close.

"We missed them by hours," Kuiil said softly, Din nodded miserably. 

"They could be out of state by now."

"They could." 

Kuiil wandered off into the next room as Din struggled to control his emotions. It wasn't fair! He was trying to do the right thing and so far nothing had gone right.

"Din, come here." Kuiil's voice sounded urgent so Din pulled himself out of his pity party and went into the master bedroom.

Kuiil was standing in the closet door frame.

Din peered into the closet and went silent. 

On the walls were hundreds of pictures. Din scanned it, he sneakily reached out and ripped Omera's picture off the wall. 

"That's her?" Kuiil asked, Din nodded weakly. 

"Yeah. That's her daughter." He said, taking the younger girl's picture off the wall. 

Kuiil sighed. "She's young." 

"Yeah. And now they're gone." 

A sob caught in his throat and he closed his eyes. 

Before he could stop himself he was crying. Kuiil didn't say anything but his presence felt like support enough.

Din cried he hadn't let himself truly cry this whole time. 

He cried for Omera, for Winta, and the terrible thing they were suffering. 

He cried for Paz, the brother who only wanted the best for his younger brother. 

He cried for Santi, the kid who's dad fucked up so badly he lost custody of his son. 

He cried for himself, for the guilt that had slowly crept into his mind over the past few days.

He cried for Kuiil and for Cara, the ones who had always felt this helpless. 

The tears made his eyes burn and his face sticky with snot but he didn't care at this point.

They had only missed them by hours.

\---

On the other side of town, Winta was clinging to Omera's side. Omera stroked her daughter's hair in a soothing gesture. 

That morning Gideon had stormed into the room angrily and began to order the girls to pick up their things and get in the van. Sensing Gideon's foul mood Omera quickly agreed and dragged Winta with her. 

She overheard Toro and Gideon arguing about some old man and Din. Omera hid her hopeful smile. 

Din was actually trying to get them out. Omera whispered this to Winta, who gave her a weak smile in return. 

Omera was worried about the sixteen-year-old. Winta had been uncharacteristically silent lately. 

They didn't move to a different house. This time they were in a massage place. The girls were crowded into rooms and told to sleep.

Omera didn't. She hadn't been able to since the truck.


	11. The Win and The Loss

Kuiil was alone at the motel. The sign was broken and he wanted to fix it before night.

He didn't see the men approach until it was too late...

\---

Din wiped tears from his eyes and got out of the car. He had Omera's picture and that was it.

"That your girl?" A few people had asked and he didn't know how to reply so he nodded. The last thing he needed was someone calling the cops on him for being a stalker.

He wandered around downtown for hours. It was nearly midnight by the time he got a lead.

"Yeah, I seen her." One burly man answered. "They tried to set me up with her at that massage place. I told 'em I preferred blondes." He explained. He was drunk and obviously willing to spill anything.

Din forced himself not to punch the man. "Thanks, man." He growled out.

The man nodded.

Din suddenly realized how many "massage places" there were in this downtown area.

He felt more frustrated than he had earlier.

It was nearing three a.m. when he caught sight of Toro receiving money from a man.

He approached, Toro instantly recognized him and stood up.

"There you are!" He shouted. Din rolled his eyes and Toro swung at him. Din ducked easily.

The next time Toro swung he grabbed his hand and twisted it. Toro yelped in pain and Din swept his feet out from underneath him.

Toro's head hit the floor with a thud and he was out cold.

Din quickly dialed Kuiil's number.

"C'mon, pick up." He muttered. The call went to voicemail.

Din groaned. Now was definitely not the time for Kuiil to be away from his phone.

Din went inside. The woman at the desk stood up.

"Hello! What massage do you want?" He asked, her eyes had bags underneath them.

"I want her." Din shoved the phone toward the woman. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"She's busy right now, but I can get you a girl like her."

Din's fragile civility snapped and he slammed his hand on the desk and ran toward the bead door.

"Omera!" He yelled. There was a muffled noise and then Omera's voice yelling loudly.

"Din! Din! Help-!"

Din pushed aside the beads and ran. Omera was trying to push away a man. He had her in a chokehold.

Din didn't even feel guilty when he punched the guy.

He dragged Omera outside, ignoring the woman at the desk protesting loudly.

Omera stumbled beside him for the tenth time and he stopped to look her over, the bruises were still there plus some additional ones.

Her pupils were dilated and he cringed. Whatever drugs she was on were not helping his whole "don't be suspicious" plan.

Before he could think, he scooped her up. She was lighter than he expected. 

She made a noise of protest. "I can walk." She said firmly. He huffed.

"I know, but I'd rather Gideon not find us so we have to go."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck to support herself.

Din nodded to people as he walked, occasionally he would mumble. "She can't handle her alcohol." or some various excuse.

Omera suddenly lifted her head fearfully, nearly hitting Din in the chin.

"Winta-"

"Shhh. We're going to get Winta." He reassured her. That seemed to appease her for the moment.

You're very kind, Din." She said blearily. He didn't look at her.

"I'm sure my son and brother would disagree."

She made a noise. "You're bleeding." She noted. He shrugged, Toro had apparently gotten a scratch in during their fight.

"I'm fine. It's a scratch."

"But you are handsome." Omera puts her head back down. Din blushed.

"The drugs-"

Omera waved her hand in a no-nonsense way. "You are very handsome, did you know that?"

A smile found its way onto his face. "I'll remind you that you said that when the drugs wear off." He teased. She yawned.

"Okay."

Din got her into the car. By then Omera was half asleep. He turned the radio down and watched her lean against the window.

He tried calling Kuiil again but it went to voicemail, frustrated, he sent Cara a quick text and began driving.

The drive was a quiet one. Din kept glancing at Omera, she wasn't quite asleep but it was close enough.

As he turned on to the dirt road he felt bad as she kept bumping her head on the window. He drove slowly to avoid it as much as possible. The road must have soothed her to sleep because by the time they arrived to Kuiil's house, she was asleep.

Din carried her inside and set her inside on the couch. He managed to find a crochet blanket and pulled it over her shoulders.

He watched her sleep for a while, she looked peaceful, like she had before this all started.

He tried to call Kuiil one last time.

"Hello." A voice that wasn't Kuiil's answered the phone.

"Who's this?" Din asked, hoping his hearing was wrong.

"I didn't think you'd forget me this soon, my friend." Din felt his heart hammer in his chest.

"Gideon. Where's Kuiil."

"The old man is safe, for now. If you bring me back my prized girl, he will stay safe."

Din clenched his teeth. He didn't say anything for fear of waking Omera, who was beginning to stir.

"Bring Omera to the location I will send you and I will bring the old man and maybe the young girl."

"Don't you fucking dare hurt her." Din growled. Gideon chuckled.

"I won't, I never liked younger girls anyways. Get the police involved and I'll kill them both."

Gideon hung up and Din stared at the phone that it had burnt him.

He looked up and Omera stared back at him.

"You have to do what he wants." She said, her eyes were stormy and angry.

His mind was still reeling and he nodded belatedly.

"I have a plan." He said. She sat up and nodded.

"Tell me."


	12. The Playground

Cara knew the day was going to be bad when she got a text from Din at 9:30 AM saying _'Don't worry about me, okay?'_

She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Typical Din.

\---

Omera had never seen a prettier playground. The green grass surrounded the pristene sidewalks. The sun reflected off the new playground so brightly that she had to squint.

She could see a lanky teenager on the swings and instantly recognized her as Winta. Where was Gideon?

She looked around, seeing what must be Din's friend on the bench near Winta.

"Where's Gideon?" She asked, Din scanned the playground for a brief moment before pointing out thr man in the shade of the tree. There was a phone pushed to his ear and his face looked angry.

Omera shuddered involuntarily looked back to Winta. The teenager was clinging to the swing so tightly that Omera was sure it hurt and her eyes darted to and fro looking for her mother.

Din looked at her and frowned. "This is awful."

She almost laughed at the understatement but instead she merely nodded.

"Yes."

"Omera, I want you to know-"

"Shhh. It's okay. I know." He frowned but nodded. "Your son must be very proud of you."

He laughed, painfully. "No, I'm not sure he is."

She didn't argue but he knew she disagreed.

Paz was going to kill him.

He got out of the car, Omera followed suit and it was only her dignity that stopped her from running down the grassy hill to Winta.

Din caught up to her.

Winta made a cry of relief when she saw her mother and quickly stood up. Gideon grabbed her arm and forced her to stand by him.

Omera felt ill at the sight of her daighter being held by that man but she tried to put on a determined look on her face. It fell when she saw the scared look on her daughter's face.

Omera stuck to the plan, Din would talk to Gideon and she and Winta would run.

Suddenly Din roughly grabbed her arm, this was not part of the plan.

"A playground?" He spat. A wicked smile crossed Gideon's face and he laughed.

"Yes. It's a perfect day." Gideon's voice made goosebumps rise on Omera's skin.

Din shook his head and tightened the grip on her arm. She winced.

"Look at us." He said, loudly. She looked around nervously as mothers stared at them and children froze from where they were playing.

Din reached to his waistband and pulled out a gun. "Look at us!" He is screaming as he waves the gun at Gideon, at her, at Winta.

Gideon was quick to grab his own gun and point it to Winta's head.

There was a cacophony of noise surrounding them as mothers pulled their children to the cars, all with their cellphones out.

Omera joined in their noise and lunged for Winta. Din's grip on her arm held her back.

"Here we are! Holding hostages, pointing guns! I'm embarrassed for us, Gideon!" Din was yelling so loudly it hurt Omera's ears. "Are you embarrassed?" Din asked.

Gideon's face told them that he was, in fact, far from embarrassed.

"Maybe we go crazy here and shoot everyone." Gideon said, like they were discussing the weather. Tears were streaming down Winta's face silently as Omera screamed.

"No. You kill mine and I'll kill yours. Around we'll go. This doesn't end here." Din's eyes were dark and stormy, his grip on Omera had only slightly lessened.

"You're right. Put down the gun and it'll start here." Gideon pressed the gun harder against Winta's head.

He's going to kill her. She's going to die right in front of her.

"Okay, okay. Here." Din slowly places the gun down and points toward his forehead.

"Shoot here." He growls and the gun was transferred from pointing at Winta's head to Din's. Omera can't help the sigh of relief that coursed through her body.

"Omera. Come here." Gideon said angrily.

Omera didn't move. With a burst of energy, Kuiil pushed himself from the bench and rammed into Gideon.

Both men fell over and fought for the gun.

Arms wrapped around Omera and she found herself whispering assurances to Winta and pressing kisses into her dark hair.

Din pushed them away. "Go!"

But his command was lost in the sound of a gunshot.

\---

The world moved in slow motion as Din watched Gideon push Kuiil off of him.

The hole and Kuiil's chest was spilling blood onto the playground ground and Kuiil's eyes were shut, he looked peaceful, even.

Din's angry cry was lost in the sound of sirens as he threw himself at Gideon.

Gideon, unsteady on his feet, was knocked over again and didn't flinch as Din punched him over and over again.

For Omera. For Winta. For Kuiil. For everyone that Gideon had ever tricked.

For himself. For Paz. For Santi.

He saw the gun in Gideon's hand and slammed it agaismt the ground. Gideon let go easily so Din grabbed the gun and held it against Gideon's forehead.

Blood trickled out of the man's nose and mouth and he smiled.

"Shoot me, boy." He said, Din wrapped a hand around Gideon's neck.

"Did Omera tell you what we did? How we made love?"

Din put pressure on the gun and as he moved his finger to the trigger he heard Omera screaming for him to stop. He heard the police yelling.

"Put the weapon down or we'll shoot!"

Dim closed his eyes. If he shot Gideon he would be no better.

He put the gun down and lifted his hands, allowing the police to tackle him on the ground and handcuff him. There were guns trained on him in case he tried anything but he knew he wouldn't.

He caught sight of one officer putting a sheet over Kuiil's body and he wept.

He wept for the man who didn't deserve any of this. Who was only trying to do the right thing and got caught in the crossfire.


	13. The Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting chapter 13 & 14 at the same time because they're both super short

"Din Djarin. You are one incredible son of a bitch." Din flinched and looked up as Cara opened the cell.

"Don't insult my mom." He mumbled. Cara smirked and sat down. Cara laughed.

"You're a genius," Cara continues, "Calling the cops beforehand and scaring off the kids." She was grinning so wide.

Din didn't smile, he looked at the wall glumly. "At what cost?" He asked. Cara's face fell at the reminder of the loss of their friend.

"Kuiil was a good man." She said, slowly. "I think he wanted to help. He knew the risks."

Din closed his eyes and leaned against the the wall. "How are the girls?" 

"Omera and Winta are doing great. The other girls are too. We're working on locating their families." 

"Good." Din sighed. That was all he really wanted.

"Your baby is cute." Cara added belatedly. Din's head shot up and he stared at Cara.

"How do you know about Santi?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. Cara had a smug smirk on her face.

"You're brother is in town."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah, dude. Your face was all over the news. He and the little guy came up to make sure you were okay." He ignored the fact that his face was all over the news and focused on the fact that Santi and Paz were here.

Something warm curled in Din's chest, _his brother had drove all the way out here to see him._ "Can I see them?"

"Din... You're free."

\---

"You've always been a pain in my ass, you know that?"

Strong arms wrapp around Din and he felt unexpected tears sting his eyes.

"Paz."

Much smaller hands hit his cheeks and slobbery kisses were placed on his face.

"Santi."

The tears flowed freely and he attempted the wipe them away.

Santi babbled and hugged Din tightly. Din sniffled and buried his nose in his sons curly hair.

"I'm proud of you." Paz said softly and more tears fill Din's eyes. He closed his eyes and let them come.

He had done a lot of crying lately.

This time Paz was there and Santi was too and Din felt warm and safe.

Cara made a noise from where she was watching the reunion. "Omera and Winta have requested to see you, if you're staying in town a few days." She told him.

Din looked up so sharply he nearly hit Paz. He would have liked nothing more to leave right the town as soon as possible but the prospect of seeing Omera stopped him.

"She does?"

He thought she wouldn't. He thought maybe she would be happy to never see him again.

Cara smirked. "Yes."

"I... If she wants to see me, I'll be glad to." Din stammered. Cara huffed out a laugh.

"Good. Because if you didn't I was going to tell your big brother to beat some sense into you."

Paz laughed. "I like your new friend." He teased. Din rolled his eyes fondly.

Now, he could get his life together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait on this chapter. I had to do a dissection on the 19th and because of the formaldehyde I had such a bad migraine and my phone screen hurt my eyes :(
> 
> On a happier note, today is my birthday and I got to see my friends for the first time in 2 months!


	14. The Epilogue

One Year Later...

"Papa! Look! Look!"

Din looked over as Santi squealed. Winta had a grin on her face as she pushed him.

Omera sat beside him, a peaceful look on her face as she toyed with the ring on her finger.

"Winta really loves having that little boy to play with." She noted. Din nodded absentmindedly.

"Mhm."

There is a moment of silence as the sound of a car in the driveway drew their attention. Cara's car came into view and Din relaxed slightly, not even noticing he tensed up.

In one hand Cara held two boxes of pizza, earning squeals of delight from Santi and Winta. In the other hand she held her keys and a stack of paperwork.

"Picked this up from the office and grabbed this on the way here." She handed him the papers.

"What is it?" Omera asked, standing and taking the boxes from Cara.

"A mission, of sorts. The cops have caught wind of some trafficking uptown. They said to ask you if you want to help."

Din looked at Omera. She nodded vigorously.

"You need to take it, Din."

He hesitated. "Last time I did that I got arrested..." He trailed off.

Omera set a gentle hand on his arm. "If you want to do this. We could do it together."

Din nodded. "I'll do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished! 
> 
> This is the first full length fic ive finished and tbh I'm proud ;)


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